CAMP Inc., in partnership with the College of Education and the Advanced Manufacturing Center at Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga Community College, Lorain Community College, and Lakeland Community College is developing a plan for establishing a Regional Center for Manufacturing Education. Building on the strengths of existing programs and relationships, the project is conducting a series of activities aimed at developing new training and education programs and curricula that incorporate the use of information technology in modern manufacturing processes.
As information technology (IT) has become critical to the quality and means of production, there is a growing demand for manufacturing workers with a thorough knowledge of IT .The introduction onto the factory floor of networked computers has dramatically changed the world of manufacturing. IT is a major factor in production control systems that may be monitored from remote stations; IT is at the heart of product tracking, monitoring quality control, ergonomic feedback systems, and in getting the final product to the customer on time. The proliferation of computers and the impact of IT in the factory demands rethinking the preparation of SMET educators and future technicians.
In the planning process, the partners are: 1. Evaluating existing IT curriculum and manufacturing technology curriculum to determine where linkages need to be created; 2. Identifying courses that would be ideal for delivery in an on-line or distance learning environment; and 3. Brainstorming teacher and faculty projects to test and evaluate new curricula.
